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Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Tartine Tuesday: Blood Orange and Green Olive Tapenade Tartines

I see you, spring... you're right there, around the corner. Now if you would just come out and play...

I can't remember when I last saw the sun. Thankfully, yesterday changed all that. It was the most beautiful day I'd seen for some months now, and it came just in time. I was starting to go a little nuts... as Quentin will attest... with cabin fever ever so annoyingly turning my brain into mush. Without a cloud in the sky, and a cheerful 50-something degrees (Fahrenheit), I giddily jumped around the apartment pulling on my jeans as fast as I could and shuffling through the top shelf of my closet to try and find my long lost sunglasses.

I hopped on the Metro and made my way to Le Jardin des Tuileries. It's usually crowded with tourists, especially on a clear and sunny day, but if you know where to look, you can find a perfectly calm, sunny spot to call your own.

Flashbacks to Landis Green in the summer time with coleslaw dogs and splashing around in Legacy Fountain came rushing back as I soaked up the sun.

It felt so good. I sat there all afternoon, doing absolutely nothing... and it was completely worth it. It's funny how much happier you feel after a day of simply sitting in the sun. Once the sun started to dip behind the Parisian skyline, I did a little shopping (but of course) and made my way back home.

Continuing to doctor myself out of this winter funk, I concocted an ever so bright and flavorful tartine that seriously tastes like summer. Blood oranges, a smaller, sweeter variety of the orange are currently in season, and pairing their sunniness with briny green olive tapenade was just the kick I needed to brighten up my Tuesday.

*I did this the hard way, and hand-made the tapenade. To make this a little quicker, you can put the tapenade ingredients into a food processor and blend until you reach the desired consistency.

Cut blood oranges cross-wise in about 1/4 inch slices, and then with a paring knife, trim the peel away from the flesh. You can also peel the oranges first and then cut them crosswise, but I feel the first way gives you more stability and less of a chance to waste the delicious fruit.

Chop together the green olives, garlic, capers, and parsley until very finely minced. Place into a bowl and add lemon juice and olive oil. Stir to combine.

Spread tapenade onto each cracker and top with slices of blood orange. Serves 3-4.